Valve for compound locomotives.



No. 797,496 PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905. F. J. COLE. VALVE FOR COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY16,1905.

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No. 797,496- PATENTBD AUGQ15, 1905. F. J. COLE.

VALVE FOR COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED my 16, mom I 3 sums-4111:1112 2.

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WITNESSES .PATENTED AUG. 15, 1905.

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- VALVE FOR COMPOUND LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16, 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE. FRANCIS J. COLE, or SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR 'ro AMERICAN LOUOMOTIVE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1905.

Application filed May 16, 1905- Serial No. 260,610-

lo all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I. FRANCIS J. COLE, of

Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Valves for Compound Locomotives, of which improvement thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to steam-distribution valves for locomotives of the balanced compound type in which a driving-axle or two coupled driving-axles, as the case may be, is or are'rotated by two compound engines, each comprising a high and'a low pressure cylinder, the pistons of which cylinders reciprocate in respectively opposite directions.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the distribution functions of both cylinders of each of the pairs above indicated may be performed by a single valve of simple and inexpensive construction and ready adaptability to the conditions ofdifierent designs of the general class or type referred to.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical central transverse section through a cylinder-saddle in which my invention is applied; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section on theline w {11 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 a similar section on the line w :1: of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention I construe acylindensaddle 12, which is substantially similar to prior constructions so far as relates to its general form and manner of connection to a counterpart saddle and to the adjacent frame member 8 and in the particular of compreheiuling in a single casting a highpressure cylinder 12, a low-pressure cylinder 12, and a valve-chest 12. The highpressure cylinder is closed by heads 12 and is fitted with a piston 40, lixed upon a pistonrod 40", and the low-pressure cylinder is closed by heads 12 and fitted with a piston 40, fixed upon a piston-rod 40. The pistonrods are connected to a driving axle or axles in the ordinary manner and are adapted to be reciprocated in respectively opposite directions by a single distribution-valve, the construction of which and of the related and cooperating cylinder ports constitutes the subject-matter of my present invention and will now be described.

The distribution-valve 16, which is of the inside-admission balanced-piston type, consists of a cylindrical body 16, which is hollow or tubular from end to end and is connected by radial and longitudinal ribs to two annular end pistons 16 and two similar intermediate pistons 16, each of which pistons is in this instance provided with two packing-rings 16". 'An annular wall or shell of smaller diameter than the intermediate portions 16 extends completely around the valve from one of said intermediate pistons to the other, thereby forming an annular circumferential recess 16 between the intermediate pistons, said shell being separated by a space from the tubular body, which space constitutes a channel for thefree passage of receiver-steam around the latter between the inner faces of the end pistons. The valve is fitted to work steam-tight in a bushing 12, which forms the lining of the valve-chest 12", the valve-chest being closed at its ends by heads 12 and is reciprocated by any suitable and preferred. form of valve-gear connected to its stem 16".

The steam-supply passage 13 of the saddle leads to a circumferential recess or channel in the valve-chest, which communicates with a plurality of steam-supply ports a. in the middle of the valve-chest bushing 1:2, and the exhaust-passage 14 of the saddle is bifurcated and communicates at its ends with exhaustports f in the bushing 12, adjacent to one of its ends, and similar ports f adjacent to its opposite end. The high-pressure cylinder 12 is provided with induction and eduction ports I) 7), leading into its opposite ends, said ports being crossed that is to say, the port I) of the righthand end of the cylinder leads into a circumferential recess in the valvechest, which communicates with a plurality of ports (Z in the bushing 12 on the lefthand side of the supply-ports a, and the port 6 of the left-hand end of the cylinder leads into a similar recess in the valve-chest, which communicates with a plurality of ports (2 on the right-hand side of the supply-ports a. The induction and eduction ports 0 e of the low-pressure cylinder 12" lead directly therefrom to ports a and 6', respectively, formed in the bushing adjacent to the exhaust-ports f and f, respectively, thereof.

While I have herein shown the valve 16 as formed in a single casting and consider such construction to be the more desirable one, it will be obvious that, if preferred, it may be built up in separate sections, using bull-rings as ordinarily heretofore applied.

In operation, referring to the valve as in the position shown in the drawings, boilersteam will be admitted from the steam-supply passage 13 to the supply-ports a, and will thence pass through the exterior recess 16 of the valve into the high-pressure port 6 and the right-hand end of the high-pressure cylinder 12', moving its piston L0 to the left. The boiler-steam which effected the preceding right-hand stroke of the high-pressure piston will coincidently be exhausted through the high-pressure cylinder-port 6, port (Z of the bushing, the space or channel surrounding the tubular body 16 of the valve, and the left-hand port a of the low-pressure cylinder 12, into said cylinder, moving its piston 40 to the right. The high-pressure exhauststeam which effected the preceding left-hand stroke of the low-pressure piston will coincidentally be finally exhausted through the right-hand cylinder-port 6', into the ports f and f of the bushing, which ports continuously communicate through the tubular body 16 of the valve, and thence through the exhaust-passage 14 of the saddle to the atmosphere through the ordinary exhaust-nozzle.

It will be seen that the valve is absolutely balanced, its end pistons being subjected to final exhaust-pressure on their outer sides and high pressure exhaust -pressure on their inner sides, and its intermediate pistons being subjected to boiler-steam pressure on their inner sides and high-pressure exhaust-pressure on their outer sides, these pressures acting oppositely on equal areas on the pistons of each pair.

The valve presents the distinct advantages of effecting a reduction in the number of pistons, and consequently of packing-rings, and

of enabling the valve-chest to be subjected to final exhaust-pressure only at the ends of the valve, this pressure being equalized by the communication provided by its tubular body, and the valve-stem needs to be packed against final exhaust-pressure only instead of against receiver-pressure, as is ordinarily the case.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a distribution-valve for compound engines, the combination of an open-ended tubular body, two end pistons connected thereto,

and two intermediate pistons connected by an annular wall or shell, said shell formingacircumferential recess between the intermediate pistons, and beingconnected to the valve-body but separated therefrom by a space or channel which permits the free traverse of steam around the body between the inner faces of the end pistons.

2. In a compound engine, the combination of a high-pressure cylinder, a low-pressure cylinder, a valve-chest common to both cylinders and having a central su pply-port, end exhaustports, high-pressurecylinderports on opposite sides of the supply-port, and lowpressure-cylinder ports between the highpressure-cylinder ports and the exhaust-ports, and a distribution-valve havingacentral passage establishing continuous communication between the opposite end exhaust-ports, acircumferential recess controlling communication between the supply-port and one or the other of the high-pressure-cylinder ports, a steam-channel controlling communication between the high-pressure-cylinder ports and the low-pressure-cylinder ports, and end pistons controlling communication between the low-pressure-cylinder ports and the exhaustports.

3. In a compound engine, the combination of a high-pressure cylinder, a low-pressure cylinder, a valve-chest common to both cylinders and having a central supply-port, end exhaust ports, two high pressure cylinder ports, each leading from one side of the supply-port to the end of the high-pressure cylinder on the opposite side of said supply-port, and low-pressure-cylinder ports between the high-pressure-cylinder ports and the exhaustports, and a distribution-valve having a central passage establishing continuous commu- I nication between the opposite end exhaustports, a circumferential recess controlling communication between the supply-port and one or the other of the high-pressure-cylinder ports, a steam-channel controlling communication between the high pressure cylinder ports and the low-pressure-cylindcr ports, and end pistons controlling communication between the low pressure cylinder ports and the exhaust-ports.

FRANCIS J. COLE.

Witnesses:

F. T. MARKS, E. H. Reuse. 

